Expert: Whistleblower Frances Haugen says Facebook making online hate worse
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told British lawmakers that the social media giant stokes online hate and extremism, fails to protect children from harmful content and lacks any incentive to fix the problems, providing strong momentum for efforts by European governments working on stricter regulation of tech giants. While her testimony echoed much of what she told the U.S.
Experts: Inflation at almost two-decade high complicates Bank of Canada rate plan
The cost of just about everything in Canada was more expensive in September, pushing headline inflation to its highest in almost two decades and complicating the Bank of Canada’s plans to keep interest rates pinned near zero until well into 2022. Prices are being driven higher around the world by an extreme mismatch between supply and demand. Suppliers are now scrambling to catch up, clogging ports a
Expert : Anand to defence, Joly to foreign affairs: Trudeau announces major cabinet shakeup
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is kicking off his third mandate with a monumental shift in his cabinet lineup that makes significant changes to senior portfolios. Anita Anand becomes only the second woman in Canadian history to take on the role of Defence minister and Mélanie Joly received a major promotion this morning, moving up from minister of Economic Development and Official Languages to a much higher profile as Foreign Affairs minister.
Expert: New Alberta mayors, councilors bring diversity to provincial councils
The 2021 municipal election was historic in Alberta, where Edmonton elected its first mayor of colour and Calgary its first female mayor. Calgary’s new mayor, Jyoti Gondek, says the diversity of the city’s incoming council will bring “strength to decision-making” at a time when a significant number of women and people of colour were elected to municipal offices across Alberta. Mayor-elect Amarjeet Sohi, a Sikh immigrant from India, will be the first person of colour to lead Edmonton.
Expert: Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp back online after global outage
Facebook and Facebook-owned apps Instagram and WhatsApp were up and running again late Monday after being hit by an outage that affected users around the world. The social media giant said the disruption to network traffic "had a cascading effect on the way our data centres communicate, bringing our services to a halt." It said there is no evidence that user data was comprised.
Expert: Amazon faces Teamsters union drive at Canadian warehouse
Amazon.com Inc. could be facing its first unionization battle in Canada after a Teamsters local filed for a union vote for workers at the e-commerce giant’s fulfilment centre near Edmonton. If the Alberta Labour Relations Board verifies application, all workers at the YEG 1 fulfilment centre in Nisku, Alberta, who were employed as of September 13 will be able to vote on joining the union.
Expert: Strength of a party's climate change plan could help influence federal election results
Climate change is a hot-button issue in this federal campaign, and data shows that a party’s environmental strategy could help influence its results in at least 9 ridings where races were neck-and-neck in the last election. Environics Analytics analyzed all 338 Canada’s federal electoral districts and found environmental issues are important to a wide swath of Canadians.
Expert: From COVID-19 conspiracies to rigged voting machines, misinformation plagues federal election
Misinformation linked to the COVID-19 pandemic is playing a larger-than-expected role in the federal election, fuelling protests and support for the People’s Party of Canada, experts say. Throughout the election, hostile protests have dogged the campaign of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.
Expert: Involvement of rural communities crucial for Canada’s recovery
As the federal election campaign heats up, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is calling on all parties to work with cities and communities of all sizes to drive a stronger, more inclusive nationwide recovery—releasing a package of achievable frontline solutions to pressing challenges, from job creation to climate change to the housing crisis. (
Expert: Sikh-Canadians to play an integral part to Canadian election outcome
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has emerged as the most likable of the federal party leaders as Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s popularity sinks amid the election campaign, a new poll suggests.
Expert: Main federal parties all say they'll make housing more affordable
Canadian voters will be hearing a similar message from each of the major federal parties during the current election campaign: housing has grown too expensive, and we have a plan to fix it. The consensus reflects the increasingly dire state of housing in Canada, experts say, which affects everyone from prospective homeowners feeling squeezed out of the market to lower-income families languishing on waiting lists for affordable housing.
Expert: Record number of Indigenous candidates running in federal election
A record number of Indigenous candidates are running in the federal election this year with what they say is a goal of advancing meaningful change in Canada's relationship with First Nations, Inuit and Metis. The Canadian Press analyzed party websites, as well as reached out to each party, to determine how many Indigenous candidates are hoping to get elected in Canada's 338 ridings on Sept. 20. The analysis determined there are at least 77 candidates this year compared with 62 in 2019.
Expert: Taliban's rapid advance across Afghanistan
Taliban insurgents entered Kabul after previously taking control of all of Afghanistan's other major cities apart from the capital. Prior talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government on a political understanding that could lead to a peace deal, backed by the United States and its allies, have failed to make significant progress. (CBC News)
Expert: Canada headed for a federal election on Sept. 20
Following a meeting with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau this morning, Governor General Mary Simon approved his request to dissolve Parliament, triggering the issuing of the election writs and formally beginning Canada's 44th federal election. The campaign will last 36 days — the minimum campaign length permitted by law. (CBC News)
Experts: Forest fires and smog
More than 130 forest fires were burning in northwestern Ontario on Sunday, July 25, with Environment Canada issuing air quality statements for much of the region due to smoke. (CBC News)
Here are some experts from McGill University that can provide comment on this issue:
